Who will replace Van Truong at SEA Games 33?

The uncertain recovery of midfielder Nguyen Van Truong's injury forced coach Kim Sang Sik to consider a new plan for the U22 Vietnam team in their journey to conquer the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games.

Viktor Le (left) could be the option to replace Van Truong in midfield - Photo: CFA

Van Truong was injured in the match against U22 Korea in the CFA Team China - Panda Cup 2025 International Friendly Tournament. MRI results in China showed that Van Truong had damage to the lateral tibial cortex, tendons, medial-lateral ligaments, and needed to be monitored for a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

The important role of Van Truong

Van Truong is an important player in the midfield of U22 Vietnam. At Panda Cup 2025, he was given the captain's armband by Acting Head Coach Dinh Hong Vinh and played in the starting lineup in all 3 matches.

Van Truong has international experience, is 1m82 tall, can organize defense and launch attacks. He understands coach Kim Sang Sik's tactics more than any other current central midfielder. This is because Van Truong was given a starting position in the Vietnam national team alongside Hoang Duc by Mr. Kim during the preparation for the ASEAN Cup 2024. But the appearance of Doan Ngoc Tan in the final preparation stage caused Van Truong to lose his place.

But at the U22 or U23 level, Van Truong has no rival in the midfield. The championship of the Vietnam U23 team at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship in July in Indonesia was greatly contributed by Van Truong. He played prominently in the role of regulating and leading the team's play alongside central midfielder Xuan Bac.

In the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers in Vietnam in September, Van Truong also started 2/3 matches, contributing to helping the U23 Vietnam team win a ticket to the final round with 3 wins.

Van Truong (8) is an important player of U22 Vietnam - Photo: ANH KHOA

Ready for the option without Van Truong

At SEA Games 33, the U22 Vietnam team will play their opening match against U22 Laos on December 4. This will be a headache for Mr. Kim Sang Sik if Van Truong does not recover in time.

That is because Van Truong has always been the number one choice in the midfield of the U22 and U23 Vietnam teams in the last three tournaments. The only match Van Truong did not start was the match against U23 Yemen in the final round of the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers. At that time, the central midfield pair was Thai Son - Xuan Bac before Van Truong replaced Xuan Bac in the 80th minute to strengthen the midfield, preserving the 1-0 victory for the home team.

The players are all familiar with the way of playing when Van Truong is on the field. Therefore, coach Kim Sang Sik will have to adjust the playing style for U22 Vietnam at SEA Games 33 if Van Truong is not there.

In this case, the most stable central midfield pair of U22 Vietnam will be Thai Son - Xuan Bac. Thai Son plays the role of "cleaning up", creating conditions for Xuan Bac to move up to launch attacks. Because the remaining central midfielders such as Quoc Cuong and Cong Phuong are all attack-oriented, U22 Vietnam is in dire need of a defensive midfielder to back up Thai Son.

Most likely, Mr. Kim will pull Viktor Le back to Van Truong's central midfielder position. 1m80 tall, Viktor Le competes strongly. This is also the position he plays quite well at Hong Linh Ha Tinh Club.

Tran Thanh Trung is a notable option as he can defend and attack effectively. This Vietnamese-American midfielder was once part of the Vietnam U23 team preparing for the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers before being eliminated due to not being able to adapt in time. When he started playing well with Ninh Binh Club in the 2025-2026 V-League, Thanh Trung got injured again, missing the opportunity to join the Vietnam U22 team to participate in the 2025 Panda Cup.

On the afternoon of November 19, Van Truong and the U22 Vietnam team returned to Hanoi after participating in the Panda Cup 2025. He will be examined again in Vietnam to determine the specific injury and know whether he can participate in the 33rd SEA Games or not.

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NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ai-thay-van-truong-o-sea-games-33-20251120084244705.htm